The University of Southern California’s (USC) mascot, a white horse named Traveler, is being accused of being a racist symbol by a student group on campus.
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the horse, whose name is Traveler – also the name of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s horse – was being scrutinized by the school’s Black Student Assembly.
This comes not long after ESPN pulled Robert Lee, an Asian-American broadcast announcer, from calling the University of Virginia’s first football game in Charlottesville, Virginia, next month, due to his name.
Charlottesville most recently became the center of national and global media attention following the violent white nationalist rally there earlier this month. The rally ultimately resulted in the death of a 32-year-old woman when a car plowed into a group of counter-protestors on Water Street, as well as the death of two Virginia State Troopers who were patrolling the assembly in a helicopter.
Since the rally, many people have taken down or called for the remove of Confederate statues across the country. General Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War.
The USC Black Student Assembly “asked students not to be quiet,” the Los Angeles Times reported, reminding students that “white supremacy hits close to home,” and referenced the name of the Trojans mascot.
“The Black Student Assembly did not respond to requests for comment, but questions about the name’s provenance have increased on social media in the midst of the national discussion on race,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Traveler appears at all USC home football games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and other outdoor events, including numerous Rose Parades.
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